See The world!

I love the sound of gentle rain at night. While I was listening to rain in the Middle of the night it gave me the idea for this week's top ten list. Oh, by the way, I started a top ten list. It's over there in the left margin. I put it there when I did my top ten movies and I will try to change it every Sunday. I thought I would do my top ten sounds (the sounds I like the most). I only have like three in my head so when I get done writing this blog I have to figure it out. Well, I guess I don't have to but I intend to. Well, I'm going to try to. If it's still a movie list over there that means I am paving the way to Hell with my idle hands or something; I wonder if that pays well?

In case this is where you get your news...there was a bombing thwarted in New York's Times' Square. Turn to the real news for details I will wait....

Yesterday my son and I became Biomechanics. We went to a seminar that taught the mechanics and conditioning of throwing. It was put on by a guy who has done extensive work with the Texas Rangers. I assume he meant the Major League Baseball team but maybe he meant the law enforcement agency. I guess I shouldn't have assumed. It was very informative though my son was a bit sleepy as I picked him up from a sleep-over on the way to the seminar. So, now I can add Biomechanic to my resume...which is nice.

Last night I swept Sugar Momma off her feet and took her on a whirlwind tour. We flew to Genoa and Kingston for the afternoon. In Genoa we trampled through the vineyards and in Kingston we took in the sites. We may even get to Malta today. I didn't realize that Italy and Jamaica were so close to one another. All true except we went to Genoa and Kingston, Illinois and the vineyards we trampled through was Russell Woods. We did see a HUGE turtle though in the Forest Preserve Nature Center. Jill had some floral-print shoes on and the turtle kept following her around nibbling on her feet. Turtles are pretty fast for foot food. It was fun. Our baseball game tomorrow night is in Genoa (not Italy) so we also stopped by and looked at the baseball field.

I just went downstairs to take my vitamins and Sugar Momma was catching up on my blogs. She said we talk about a lot of this stuff. So, next time you see us together and you're wondering why we're not talking or I'm ignoring her it's so I don't wreck the blog for her. That might be the reason I am sleeping on the couch then too. I will go downstairs and tell her as soon as this one is posted so she can participate at the water cooler (or desk-top tea pot and hotplate) talks tomorrow.

It seems that our neighborhood is changing again. Many of my son's friends have moved and there are a couple more moving soon. One of them we knew was coming and another was a surprise. In fact, I don't even know if that friend even knows he's moving yet so we'll wait until he tells us for my son to find out. The one that we have known for a while, they finally sold their house and are moving to Florida and this new one is going to move to Texas. My son is thirteen and we have been here for, I think, about seven years so these are most of his life-long friends (at least the ones he remembers). He had three friends who lived right across the street move earlier this year and that was tough. He rode with me to take them to the airport and there were plenty of waterworks all around. I wish he liked traveling by himself more because he could travel the country every summer for little or no lodging expenses. The U.S. would become to him what Europe is to Europeans. He could spend one summer traveling to see his friends (and one uncle) to: Oregon, Hawaii, Texas and Florida just off the top of my head. I don't remember very many people at all moving when I was a kid...maybe this will make him a better, stronger man than his father; that's what we all strive for for our children I hope. The way of our current economy we are seeing a lot of things that not many have seen in their lifetimes.

Listening to the radio driving through the "Italian" countryside I heard all the rhetoric about how the political parties are just trying to stop legislation because it was introduced by the other party. I have a potential solution - next election I am going to pick women for every political race that there is a female candidate running. Men are too competitive and driven to win at all cost. They will run our country into the ground rather than be defeated on issues. I know this is a broad analysis (no pun intended) but, honestly, if it comes down to two candidates that are similar in my mind and one is female...she gets my vote.

Hopefully you have family day or alone time or church or whatever you cherish today. My brother-in-law and I are going to help someone move (understatement of the century) so pray for us.

(Walket Texas Ranger photo from sharetv.org and world travel graphic from www.muurkrant.nl/monopoly/world_edition.htm)